Bible Contradictions...?

Question

I see a lot of people mentioning contradictions in the Bible. Would someone please share what these contradictions are? I was raised Christian and have yet to see any contradictions. If the Bible is misread and taken in literally sense, then I could see how someone might find what look like contradictions in the Bible.

Please share these contradictions.

LottaLou: Not to stomp on your beliefs but I am no longer Christian and can say with certainty that many non-CHristians will be able to dispute Bible contradictions.

Answer 1

You will get plenty of answers but not the complete truth.

The only way to show that the Bible contradicts itself is to refuse to let the Bible explain itself.

A text without context is a pretext to reject text.

Wrong motives for reading the Bible = wrong understanding or misunderstanding of the Bible

Right motives for reading the Bible = right or correct understanding of the Bible

You cannot expect the self-centered human mind to render an impartial verdict on the character of God as revealed in His word.

The "apparent" contradictions that I have seen in the Bible were explained by comparison with other Bible verses.

Show N Tell

Answer 2

Bible difficulties, or apparent Bible contradictions, exist. The opponents of Christianity often use them in their attempts to discredit Christianity. Sometimes these attacks undermine the faith of Christians who either don't understand the issues or don't have the resources to deal with them.

Opponents of Christianity will cite what they consider a Bible contradiction or difficulty by comparing one verse to another (or more) that seems to disagree with the first. In doing this, several verses are often referenced as being contradictory or problematic. Therefore, to make this section of CARM easy to use, it is arranged by verse for easy lookup. Since many of the same "difficulties" deal with one verse in opposition to another or even several others, I have listed all the verses addressed in the same answer. This makes the initial list look larger than it really is. For example, how many animals did Noah bring into the ark? Genesis 6:19-20 says two while Gen. 7:2-3 mentions seven. Therefore, both verses are listed and both links point to the same answer.

http://carm.org/introduction-bible-difficulties-and-bible-contradictions

If we read the Bible at face value, without a preconceived bias for finding errors, we will find it to be a coherent, consistent, and relatively easy-to-understand book. Yes, there are difficult passages. Yes, there are verses that appear to contradict each other. We must remember that the Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of around 1500 years. Each writer wrote with a different style, from a different perspective, to a different audience, for a different purpose. We should expect some minor differences. However, a difference is not a contradiction. It is only an error if there is absolutely no conceivable way the verses or passages can be reconciled. Even if an answer is not available right now, that does not mean an answer does not exist. Many have found a supposed error in the Bible in relation to history or geography only to find out that the Bible is correct once further archaeological evidence is discovered.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-errors.html

The Big Book of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise Answers from Genesis to Revelation
By: Norman L. Geisler, Thomas Howe
http://www.christianbook.com/difficulties-clear-concise-answers-genesis-revelation/norman-geisler/9780801071584/pd/071584?event=AFF&p=1011693&

Answer 3

I never read anywhere in the Bible that said "don't take this book or the word of God or Jesus literally". So who exactly decided or interpreted that from the bible?

It always amazes me how people have these little rules for the bible. Unless of course they are trying to scare someone into converting to their religion. In that case it's word for word. "Well it says right here if you don't [ fill in with what you like] then you are going to hell!"

Then there's my favourite of all type. When you ask a Christian or any other believer to prove something in the bible they always quite the bible. The bible cannot act as evidence of itself.

That's the equivalent to me saying "Santa is real!" and you asking me to prove it. I then pull out my trusty Santa Claus book and read it to you. Then explain that he's real because my Santa Claus book says he is.

Let's see contradictions...
We all know that your God is all loving. No scripture should be needed for that.

For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. -Exodus 31:15

Here we clearly see your God's great love.

Don't give me that it's old testament crap either. That's the John Kerry line of "I was for it before I was against it"

Bottom line is all religious people are delusional!

Answer 4

Let's have a quick look at Mark 14:12; 15:25. It states that Jesus was crucified the day after the Passover.

Now, look at John 19:14. It states that Jesus was crucified before the Passover.

The two passages contradict each other.

Answer 5

Well, I assume this counts, so can anyone take the four books that talk about Easter and reconcile them into one fluid story without contradictions? I mean, in one book it says the stone was gone from the tomb when they get there, another book says it had to be moved. In one book it says women approach the tomb first, in another it says someone else does.

If anyone can reconcile those four books into one story, email me.

Answer 6

Supposed contradictions are part of God's winnowing process during these last days...
http://www.schneblin.com/studies/pdfs/winnowing_wheat_chaff.pdf
It gets fence-sitters to get on one side or the others. Those that really do not care about God or His Word will go to one side, point and say "Ah haa!" While the one who DOES care will ask God and get an answer and yell triumphantly, "Ah haa!"

One example of this is "Who Killed Goliath?"

I Samuel 17:50 says David slew Goliath
II Samuel 21:19 says Elhanan slew Goliath
I Chronicles 20:5 says Elhanan slew the brother of Goliath

If you look the latter two passages up in the Young's Interlinear, you will see that the word "brother" is in the second Samuel text in the original Hebrew. However, it was untranslated due to a slight distortion in one of the letters.

II Samuel 21:19
0853 את 'eth ayth = untranslatable (closest is plowshares, but has other letters attached)

I Chronicles 20:5
0251 אח 'ach awkh = Brother

In Hebrew, the three letters that look almost identical are the Tav "ת", the Hay "ה" and the Khet "ח". A distortion in the Khet of Second Samuel 21 caused it to look like a Tav, and thus render the two-letter word as untranslatable. Rather than researching the possible distortion, the translators chose to ignore it.

The book of Chronicles is a backup for just such an occurrence. In computers, when you copy or save files, a hard drive will write the information twice to make sure the task was performed accurately. This is called "parity" and the Bible utilizes this technique as well.


Isaiah 34:16
"Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them."

Answer 7

You can search Y!A and find the other hundreds of questions that ask the same thing.

In my beliefs, there are no contradictions. The way humans interpret/translate the Bible is where the contradictions show up.

Answer 8

I am an educated women. I have studied the bible for 20+ years and have Never come across a REAL contradiction.
I've read some pretty lame claims that were false.
The bible is accurate.
I've read what X posted and looked at that web site, many taken out of context and misquoted. BRB to give example...
OK, that site talked about the creation story having to different scenarios about Adam and Even when they were created. In Genesis 1 it says God created them both male and female...Then in Genesis 2 it gives a RECAP and give details how God did this. This is NOT a contractions!
These are lame claims.
Rev. Albert Einstein is correct. These people haven't read the bible, only read web sites...sad.
†

Answer 9

The first one that comes to mind is that rabbits chew their cud. The second is the major discrepancies in Jesus' lineage, both of which do not show royal linage. The third is the different dating of Christ's birth.

Answer 10

Ha! People can go to evilbible.com or anywhere else they want to, but there are no contradictions in the Bible, except for those people who are completely unaware of what they are reading. People don't even understand idioms - figures of speech in the Bible. Bible illiteracy is at an all-time high, because the Churches do not teach it properly.

After over years of intense study and fluency in all three
Bible languages, I can say with a guarantee, that there are
absolutley NO contradictions in the Scriptures.